Is speaking Arabic among Arab employees in the presence of non-Arabic speaking employees considered the forbidden whispered counsel (najwa)?
Speaking in your language in front of a group who do not understand it is permissible, and it is not the forbidden "secret counsel" mentioned in the Hadith: "If you are three, let not two of you hold secret counsel apart from the other until you mix with people, for that would sadden him." The prohibition is against two people holding secret counsel apart from one, but among a group, there is no harm. If there are four people and two hold secret counsel apart from the other two, there is no objection according to scholarly consensus. The reason for the prohibition is the fear that the individual might be saddened, thinking that they belittle him or that their secret concerns something detrimental to him.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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